Administration Deported 315,943 People, a 14% Drop From Previous Year

The U.S. deported fewer people in the 2014 fiscal year than in any other year since President Barack Obama took office, according to official figures.

The Obama administration deported 315,943 people in the year that ended Sept. 30, a 14% drop from the previous year, said a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement representative. The 2014 total represents the second consecutive year in which removals have declined. In fiscal 2013, the administration removed 368,644 foreigners.

The new figure drew criticism from Republicans who argue Mr. Obama has intentionally weakened immigration enforcement. They have criticized him for recently announcing executive action to temporarily shield from deportation and give work authorization to as many as five million illegal immigrants.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican, said of the Obama administration that the new figure “confirms what we already know: It refuses to use the tools provided by Congress to enforce our laws.”

Congress is funded to remove 400,000 individuals each year. The last time removals hit that figure was in fiscal 2012, when 409,849 immigrants were deported.

“President Obama claims that he needs to set priorities for the enforcement of our immigration laws because he has limited resources, but he isn’t fully using the resources given to him by Congress,” said Mr. Goodlatte in a statement.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Even with a decline, the 2014 figure brings the total number of foreigners deported under Mr. Obama to more than two million, surpassing any other president.

In years past, immigration enforcement officials credited an enforcement program, dubbed Secure Communities, for the steep increase in deportations. Under the program, law-enforcement officials checked the immigration status and the fingerprints of detained immigrants against national databases. Immigrant advocates had criticized the program for sweeping up immigrants arrested for minor offenses, such as driving with a broken taillight, and landing them in deportation proceedings.

As part of his executive action, announced Nov. 20, Mr. Obama eliminated Secure Communities. He said that new priorities will streamline enforcement to maximize limited resources and focus on high-priority individuals who have committed crimes. Under the new so-called Priority Enforcement Program, local police will no longer detain immigrants for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Instead, they will notify the agency if a suspect is about to be released.